Footprints in the Sand
by Ally Booth
Summary: Her body was finally found, half buried in a desert halfway across the country, in the same desert that her and I found the two people who had fought underground. Temperance Brennan has been murdered.
1. The Wrong Bones

Title: Footprints in the sand

Chapter 1

Rating: For now, it's pg.  
Author's Note: This story is set in February of 2007 and is told in Booth's POV.

Temperance Brennan has been murdered. She wrote entries on what had happened during the time she was missing, but will it be enough?

I'm crying in her apartment. Her body was finally found, half buried in a desert halfway across the country, in the same desert that her and I found the two people who had fought underground. If you asked me at this very moment, I wouldn't have been able to tell you their names if my life depended on it. Next to the body was footprints in the sand leading out of the desert and into town. They had not been able to find whoever had run out, but knew it was female, size 7, and that there were many, many women who fit that profile. The only limit to that was it appeared to be champion sneakers. Not the hottest fashion in Vegas, but plenty of tourists wore them, along with many people in Vegas who simply didn't care what you thought of them.

She was also found with a journal, one page bookmarked, in her hand. She hadn't been kidnapped right away, but on vacation in Maine. As far as anyone could tell, the journal didn't specify how she had gotten from Maine to Vegas. In fact, the bookmarked page of the journal didn't make sense.

I opened to this entry, if it could be called that. It seemed as good a place to start as any.

Really all it was was a bunch of letters and numbers, but I knew they meant something. Bones didn't just write numbers or letters down for nothing.

_1-5-07 1E3E3E4C2 A1D3B2E1B3A1 D2D4 A1D3E5E3D3E1 C4E1A1D1D2D3B2 E4C2D2D4?D2E4'D4 B1C3E1D3D3A1D3.D2 A1C3 D3E3E4D1E1A1D1. E1C2D2D4 C5E3C3A1D3 C5A1D4 E4A1A3E1D3 D2E3D4E4A1B2E1 C5D2E4C2 C3E1 A1D3D1 C2A1D4 D4D2C3D2B3A1C4 B1E3D3E1 D4E4C4A5C1E4A5C4E1. D2 A1C3 D2D3 B4E1B2A1D4. A1D4A3 E4C2E1 E3D3E1 E3D3E1 A4E1C4D4E3D3 C5C2E3 A3D3C5D4 C5D2E1C4E1 D2D3 B5E1B2A1D4 D2 C3A1E5 B1E1 C5C2E1C4E1 D2D3 B5C2E1C4E1 D2 A1C3._

This was her code. The one she wrote before she died. I just couldn't figure it out. What did it mean? Was it a last statement? Was it very important? I couldn't tell.

All Zach could find from the body was some childhood history, race, and height, all of which fit Brennan perfectly.. He had one suspected cause of death, and that was a stab wound to her left hip. What was Brennan trying to tell us? Was it even Brennan who wrote this?

Quickly my mind went through all the techniques used to crack codes, but I couldn't figure it out, even after 2 hours of working on it. I wasn't really allowed on the case, but the Jeffersonian still told me the latest news on the case as soon as they informed the FBI, if it wasn't anything major they told me first.

I had managed to get a copy of the code, as did the Jeffersonian. The FBI had the original.

I wondered what Brennan was trying to tell us once again as I drifted to sleep.

_I was in the desert. A man I couldn't see was stabbing a woman. I couldn't see her face, but her hair, shadowed by the sun, looked to be Brennan's. She had the same shape as well, which almost confirmed it was Brennan, but the woman's scream was not Brennan's. She screamed and screamed, and as I looked I saw another woman run out of sight, leaving nothing but footprints in the sand…_

I awoke from my dream. It wasn't surprising that I would dream the day she died. I had been in love with her, after all.

I looked out my window and saw it was light out, so I got out of bed and made myself some breakfast.

It had been a week since anyone had seen Angela at work, though Hodgins and I had both talked to her over the phone. She sounded miserable.

Today she came in, a determined look on her face. "I want to draw her face." She told Zach.

He looked at her, confused. "You want to draw her?" He asked, stunned.

Her expression softened into that of sadness. "Please Zach, I need…" Her voice cracked. "I need to see how she looked when she died."

Zach looked as though he understood. "Take it." he said, nodding. "I'm working on some samples anyway."

She thanked him and took the skull to her office next to the Angelator. It would probably be ready around midday.

It was midday before we realized something was out of place with the body, and it was Hodgins who noticed it, even though he didn't actually realize he had until he told me.

"Sorry man. Nothing important. Zach, pretty much nothing new." He said. "Just a few things of sediment and what looks like an old break in one of the leg bones, probably from where she fell off a bike when she was little or something."

That got my attention. "She has an old break?" I asked. "She once broke her bone, I mean?"

He looked at me, clearly not understanding why this was important. "Yeah man, check it out for yourself."

"I wouldn't know what to look for, but not the point. The point is, I know for a fact Brennan has never once broken a bone. Ever. She's forever bragging about it, saying that caution prevents broken bones and such. If this woman broke a bone, any bone, ever, then she can not be identified as Temperance Brennan."

A/N: Please review!


	2. Meanwhile in Vegas

Chapter 2

Rating: For now, it's still pg.  
Author's Note: This story is set in February of 2007 and is told in Booth and Brennan's POV.

Disclaimer: I did not create Bones, I do not own it. Seriously people, if I owned Bones, would I be working on a free site on fan fiction? No, I'd be working on the next episode! I don't own Bones.

POV: Brennan

I wrote down the code really fast, first dating it. _1-5-07 1E3E3E4C2 A1D3B2E1B3A1 D2D4 A1D3E5E3D3E1 C4E1A1D1D2D3B2 E4C2D2D4?D2E4'D4 B1C3E1D3D3A1D3.D2 A1C3 D3E3E4D1E1A1D1. E1C2D2D4 C5E3C3A1D3 C5A1D4 E4A1A3E1D3 D2E3D4E4A1B2E1 C5D2E4C2 C3E1 A1D3D1 C2A1D4 D4D2C3D2B3A1C4 B1E3D3E1 D4E4C4A5C1E4A5C4E1. D2 A1C3 D2D3 B4E1B2A1D4. A1D4A3 E4C2E1 E3D3E1 E3D3E1 A4E1C4D4E3D3 C5C2E3 A3D3C5D4 C5D2E1C4E1 D2D3 B5E1B2A1D4 D2 C3A1E5 B1E1 C5C2E1C4E1 D2D3 B5C2E1C4E1 D2 A1C3._

I then put it down and left. I couldn't afford to linger here too long. I didn't know much about the man I had been held hostage by, simply that he preferred women that were about my build with red hair, and that he was a flight attendant. That was how he had found me anyways. I had heard Booth had had agents following me, and I wanted privacy, so I went to Nevada without informing him. I instead had my friend forward all my messages, thinking I could handle myself. Oh Booth would kill me when he found out, and I wouldn't ever be allowed on vacation without him again, but it's better than being dead..

I had left the message coded. It was a code Booth had told me about a long time ago. It was simple, yet hard to decipher, unless on had the proper code. The thing with this code was even if you knew what kind of code it was, it could be hard to decipher because the letters could be changed around and you could use different pairings for each letter, depending on your purposes.

Yes, the graph code was a good choice. But would Booth be able to figure it out? Or maybe someone else? I didn't know, but it was my only hope. Now I just had to find where to put it. I left it with the body. I knew that when I left it in my journal, and when the body looked to be my age and build, they would assume it was me. They always assumed, but I had to. If I didn't leave it in the journal, they might not know who to call. At least now they'd know to call the D.C. headquarters, who would tell Booth near immediately.

I couldn't leave Nevada by plane, and I knew my kidnapper had people watching the border of Nevada. They all knew by now who I was, and would not hesitate to kill me. I needed somewhere to go where Booth would find me, my kidnapper wouldn't, and that was preferably secluded.

I smiled. I knew where I'd go.

A/N: This will probably be the only chapter written in Brennan's POV. For the sake of leaving you wondering, I tried not to give too much away with Brennan's POV. For those of you who are trying to figure the code out, you now know the type of code. Please review and tell me what you think!

Ally


	3. She needs to be identified

Title: Footprints in the sand

Chapter 3

Rating: For now, it's pg.  
Author's Note: So everyone knows, I wrote this story on a whim and I have no idea where to take this. Any suggestions you have would be much appreciated!

I walked to Angela's office, where she sat at the computer confused.

"What is it Angela?" I asked, though I already knew what it must be.

"This isn't coming out like Brennan. The cheekbones are too high, the eyes are a different shape, she's got signs of slightly darker skin than Brennan has… I don't get it." She said.

"We made a mistake. The bones aren't Brennan's. The journal was a coincidence. I think somewhere it says she's not dead." I told her. She looked at me.

"Wh… what?" She said, amazed. Her best friend wasn't dead, it was no surprise she'd be amazed.

"Bones isn't literally bones. At least not yet." I told her, smiling.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, then jumped up and hugged me. I hugged her back.

"So the question is, who is this woman. She needs to be identified. I think we have a serial killer, and if we do, Brennan isn't safe." I said, she nodded.

"I'll do it right away." She said. I smiled at her.

"Thanks Ange."

I walked out of her office to where Zach and Hodgins had the remains.

"The victim appears to be around Dr. Brennan's age, but upon further examination of the bones I don't see how we missed it wasn't Dr. Brennan. She is slightly shorter than her, though not by much. I don't think we did much for identification, it must be why we couldn't see it was her. There's no other way I can see it." Zach commented as I watched him take samples.

"Well, keep working on identifying these remains." I said. "I called the chief, it's officially FBI. But I'm getting a new partner incase this goes toward Bones." I rolled my eyes. "I apparently would be too emotionally involved."

Just then, the girl I had been partnered with walked in. My jaw dropped. They didn't. The wouldn't.

"Agent Booth." She said, grinning.

They did.


	4. Addison

Title: Footprints in the sand

Chapter 4

Rating: pg.  
Disclaimer: Looks around for Bones. Fails to find Bones. Nope, don't own it. Wish I did though.

"What are you doing here Addison?" I asked.

"Why, Agent Booth, I'm your new partner. Didn't you know?" She grinned. "You didn't. Well surprise surprise!" She turned to the squints, "Hello everyone, I'm Special Agent Addison Taylor. I'm going to be here a while, so we might as well get to know each other."

Then, Angela came out of the room. "Oh my god! Addison!" She ran up and hugged Addison, who looked pleasantly surprised. "Angela, wow hun, what's it been, 8 years?"

"Nine in May." She said, smiling at Addison.

"Wait, you two know each other?' I asked, confused.

"Yeah, Angela and I went to college together. We were roommates." Addison said. I groaned.

"Great." I said.

Addison and Angela were very much the same. Addison and Angela were both hopeless romantics, they had a huge fashion obsession, loved to chat about boys… But I liked Angela better. Addison could be mean, really mean sometimes. The closest Angela had ever come to mean was when she came with me to identify a child killer, she had really been cold.

Addison was my ex lover. We had gone out during her senior year at college. I guess Angela was already gone by then, because she had the room to herself. Addison had studied to be an attorney, then decided to go into federal work instead. She wasn't the smartest FBI agent, nor the most "squintish," but she was close.

"Right, well, I hate to break up this touching reunion, but we have a case to solve. Angela, have you found a match for the skull?" I said.

She sighed. "Yes Booth, several. Apparently women 5'6" with red hair and blue eyes who've once broken their left leg go missing very often. Unless we get something that really stands apart, we're left guessing."

I sighed. It wasn't what I'd hoped for, but it happened more often than not. "Well then you've done good. If you've finished the face, you can take a very long break. Go home, shopping, whatever you girls do. Though Addison, I'm sorry to say, is obliged to stay until 5."

Angela nodded and left, looking at me curiously, apparently wondering why I was being so cold to Addison.

"Well Addison, if you stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours. Be warned, I give as good as I get." I said to my new partner. She had cheated on me with that scumbag, why shouldn't I be cold?

She nodded. Zach and Hodgins looked amazed at how I could be cold to Addison, but quickly recovered. Zach went to work on the bone samples, and Hodgins came over to me. "Hey, I found out that the skull had bits of iron oxides and hydroxides, most likely from corrosion."

"I have no idea what you just said, can you please speak English?" Booth asked.

"In ways you'd understand, the victim had odd markings on her neck, like she was strangled to death, and there were bits of steel embedded into her neck. It is very common, and it could be impossible to tell what exactly it was from." he said sadly.

I sighed and he left to go to his office and examine the skull and neck more.

I sighed. Then I remembered Brennan's journal. I wanted to see if there might be clues to what happened. I made a note to check on it later.

At 5 Addison and I were free to go. I headed instead to Brennan's apartment for the journal. The Jeffersonian had given me only a copy, but it was enough.

I looked at her first entry. It was from the day she was reported missing. According to our information, she had boarded the plane to Maine but had never gotten off it.

_October 22nd, 2007_

_It's really hot. I wore a tank top and shorts to the beach and I was still hot. I met an old friend of dad's today, he owns a mining supplies shop near here. I'm in my room on the second story and I have a wonderful view of the sand. It's kind of hard to explain, but from this angle it looks as though there is no water. I met some other girls today, Andrea L, Laura O, and Sarah S. They are wonderful girls. _

_I got a tour of the mining shop today. He had everything from steel wires to pick axes. It was interesting. _

_So Max (my dad's friend) and I went for a walk. Then h walked me up to my room and left. All in all, it was a very good day._

_Brennan_

I had read this entry before, but it had new meaning to me now. I wondered if the man's name really was Max… Then I remembered a conversation Brennan and I had recently had.

"_My dad would always hangout with a man. Russ and I had to call him Max, but I learned a little while ago his real name was Philip Willson. _

So now Philip Willson had become my main suspect. I went back to the lab.

"Hey squints, come over here!" I yelled. Angela had returned at some point in my absence, and was the first to arrive.

"You called?" She asked. "And stop calling us squints."

"As long as you squint, I will call you squints. Now, I found something interesting. Where's Hodgins?" I asked.

"Jack!" Angela called. Hodgins arrived, with Zach right behind him. "Yeah man?"

"I found something in Brennan's diary. First thing that's weird is she was up north, towards Canada, and this entry is marked October 22nd. Anyone who's ever been to Maine in September knows you would not go to the beach, much less in a tank top and shorts. Then, Hodgins, remember how you told me about the steel wire? She says the man Max, his real name is Philip Willson, owns a mining supplies shop. She said they had everything from pick axes to steel wire. And I'd bet the girls she mentioned were on the missing list." I said. Hodgins nodded.

"It makes sense. Did she leave any other clues?" He asked.

"I haven't checked. I wanted to check that out with you first. I'll look into the rest of the diary and tell you about it later. Hodgins, can you… I don't know, do whatever it is you do when we find stuff like this?" I asked. He nodded. "Sure man." And was off.

"What about me?" Angela asked.

"You need to help me with this. I don't know how Brennan writes, you may be able to pick up clues I miss." I told her, and gestured for her to follow me into the SUV.

We drove to my place and I grabbed her and I a soda. We looked at the next entry.

_December 31st, 2006_

_Sorry I haven't written in a while, Max has been forcing his presence upon me. He's not really as bad as he could be, the girl's I met seem to think he's nicer with me than them. I just can't wait to see Booth and Angela and everyone. I've been thinking, maybe I'll practice that code Booth taught me, just so I can see if he can tell which code it is. Maybe I'll put something in there that he'd want to know, like, I don't know… ah hah! I'll put that I'm madly in love with him (I'm not, just so you know.) just so I can see his face when he decodes it. I think I'm going to head home soon. If so, that means you won't be hearing from me for a while._

_Brennan_

"Well, I know what code that is, but it doesn't help me much. Which way do the letters go? It could be anything, it's a very hard to decode code. I'll have to spend a lot of time on it. But did you see anything else odd?" I asked. She had a grim look on her face. "What Ange?"

"She was raped." She said.

"What!?" I said, suddenly furious.

"See here, it says he forced his presence on her, Bren never writes things like that. She says they're annoying if that's the case. Then she wrote "he's nicer with me than them." They were all raped. I bet if we looked, the victim we have would show signs of it. Then this is probably when she decided to try and escape, but that's a little obvious." She said.

This information troubled me. I didn't like the idea of Bones being raped. I called Zach and asked him. He had been about to tell me about the bruising to her pelvis and vaginal areas. It only supported Angela's theory.

"Angela, I bet she did the code horizontal. Can you help me decode this?" I asked. She nodded and I scribbled the decoder. She understood and helped me. Together, we turned _1-5-07 1E3E3E4C2 A1D3B2E1B3A1 D2D4 A1D3E5E3D3E1 C4E1A1D1D2D3B2 E4C2D2D4?D2E4'D4 B1C3E1D3D3A1D3.D2 A1C3 D3E3E4D1E1A1D1. E1C2D2D4 C5E3C3A1D3 C5A1D4 E4A1A3E1D3 D2E3D4E4A1B2E1 C5D2E4C2 C3E1 A1D3D1 C2A1D4 D4D2C3D2B3A1C4 B1E3D3E1 D4E4C4A5C1E4A5C4E1. D2 A1C3 D2D3 B4E1B2A1D4. A1D4A3 E4C2E1 E3D3E1 E3D3E1 A4E1C4D4E3D3 C5C2E3 A3D3C5D4 C5D2E1C4E1 D2D3 B5E1B2A1D4 D2 C3A1E5 B1E1 C5C2E1C4E1 D2D3 B5C2E1C4E1 D2 A1C3 _into 1-5-07 Booth, Angela is anyone reading this? It's Brennan. I'm not dead. This woman was taken hostage with me and has similar bone structure. I am in Vegas ask the one person who knows where I am.

She had made quite a few mistakes in spelling, but it was no wonder seeing as though she was pressed for time.

"Who do you think she meant?" I asked finally, already knowing the answer.

"You. You were with her in Vegas, any one place she wanted to stay or visit?" She asked.

"Sure, lots of places. There were probably 3 5-star hotels, 90 museums, 15 different landmarks, and…" I suddenly knew. "I know where she is!"

A/N: Please review!


	5. Lost Chance

_**Author's Note: Okay, I've put this chapter off long enough. I had trouble figuring out where to put Brennan, but one of the reviewers gave me an idea. This is the last chapter and I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews! I hope that you've enjoyed this fic as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**_

_**Ally**_

"Wait, Booth, where are you going?" Angela called after me.

"Come on, you can come to, but I need you packed in 20 minutes or less, got it Ange? If you're not packed I won't wait up." I called back.

"Okay Booth, but where are we going?" She asked.

"Where else? To Vegas!" I told her and we hopped into the SUV. I had already had my bags packed, having planned going there to look for her anyways. We went to Angela's house.

She was packed in 10 minutes and came out the door. She had 3 bags, so it wasn't totally surprising. For most people, a trip for a few days would not require 3 bags for one person, but with Angela it was a different matter. She needed all her makeup, her own blankets, her own bathroom supplies, her pillows, 3 pairs of dresses, four skirts, 2 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of shorts, and 5 shirts for every one day she was staying, which explained her need to go shopping every time she went on vacation.

We headed to the airport and after some smooth talking on my part, we managed to get a flight to Vegas with only a 20 minute wait. It was short notice, but still a long time when the woman you love has been kidnapped.

We finally got on the plane, and though it was only a few hours, it felt like the longest ride of my life. I tapped my foot until Angela stilled it with her hand. "Booth, calm down." She whispered.

When we arrived there, I managed to rent an SUV while Angela got our bags. I planned on only staying tomorrow and leaving the day after, so I had Angela talk the guy at the desk into getting us a ticket.

Once at the hotel, we almost literally threw our stuff in and went back to the SUV. I then headed to where I knew the casino Brennan and I had been was. It hit me that's where she was, because I remembered her pointing the rooms out and saying "If I ever come back, I could just stay in the casino. Then I wouldn't have to have you give me a ride here." She definitely had a gambling problem, even if she didn't realize it. When we arrived I flew in and scanned the casino. I was surprised at how empty it was, but sure enough, Tempe was sitting playing Texas hold 'em.

"Bones!" I yelled and ran over to her. I picked her up and pressed her against my chest hard.

"Booth, I get it. Put me down, I can't breathe!" She complained after a while, struggling in my grip. I put her down only to hug her again, with extra care.

"Bones, what happened? We just figured the code out today! I came here as soon as I knew where you were. Damn it Tempe I thought I lost you." I told her in a harsh tone.

"I'm sorry Booth. The guy was a flight attendant, he took me while I was boarding." She said. That explained how she got on the flight but never off it. She would have had to be taken while going through the long hall to the plane.

I thought about what Angela had once said to me. _You know Booth, if you don't hurry up and make a move on her, you're going to lose your chance. This is a tough job, she could be kidnapped, and hurt. Or another man could make the move first._ Almost without thinking, I leaned down and covered her lips with my own.

I had never kissed her before, and even though I had pictured what it would be like, never had I imagined it would be this good. My thoughts briefly turned to Sully and Trisha, who Bones and I were going out with, but they were pushed to the back of my mind.

Then she pushed me away. "Booth, I can't. I'm going out with Sully, and you with Trisha. I can't do this to him Booth, I'm sorry." And she walked to where Angela was waiting. They had a brief conversation after hugging and finally Angela nodded and they hugged again. Angela met my eyes and I turned away, walking to the SUV. I knew Tempe had told her what happened, and the look Angela gave me broke my heart.

I turned on the radio and the song Every Other Time by LFO came on.

_I said let's talk about it, _

_as she walked out on me and slammed the door. _

_But I just laugh about it, _

_cause she's always playing those games. _

_Deep down I know she loves me, _

_but she's got a funny way of showing me how she cares._

Angela and Bones came in, with Bones in the passenger seat and Angela in back. I didn't say anything as I drove to the hotel, nor as we got out and I handed Bones her keycard.

After my shower I turned on the television. I watched a new Grey's Anatomy episode and drank tequila for about an hour until I heard a knock on my door. At first I didn't realize it was my door, because Christina had just knocked on Burke's door, until I heard it again after she had been invited in.

I opened the door to see Bones hurry in.

"Booth, about what happened at the casino…" She began, but I cut her off.

"No, it's my fault Bones. I shouldn't of kissed you, I'm sorry." I said. The only part that wan't the truth was the last bit. I wasn't sorry for kissing her.

"Booth, we… I mean, is it going to be awkward between us now?" She asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know Bones." I said and then, while knowing I would regret it, asked "Why are you going out with Sully? Why won't you go out with me?"

She looked taken aback for a moment. "I… Booth, you know that nothing could ever happen between us." She said.

"I don't know that at all Tempe." I said, and she looked up at me at the use of her name.

"Of course you do. We're partners Booth, we can't be… anything. " She said.

I'm sorry Booth." She said.

_Sometimes it's Black, sometimes it's white._

_Sometimes she's wrong, sometimes I'm right._

_Sometimes we talk about it, or we figure it out_

_But then she just changed her mind._

_Sometimes she's hot, sometimes I'm cold_

_Sometimes my head wants to explode, _

_But when I think about it, I'm so in love with her._

_Every other time._

The chorus of that song popped into my head as she walked out the door. I reached out for her, but I knew she wasn't going to be there.

6 MONTHS LATER

"And do you, Temperance Brennan, take Michael Sullivan to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The priest asked.

Bones' eyes glanced at me as she answered "I do."

"Then I herby announce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

I looked away as they kissed passionately and everyone cheered.

At the reception I walked up to Bones and Sullivan and put a fake smile on my face.

"I have to get going, I'm expected for an appointment, but I want you to know how happy I am for you two. Congratulations." I said, still smiling. They both thanked me and said goodbye.

And as I walked out, I knew that I still wanted her, even if she didn't want me.

A/N: Did you like the end? Was it horrible? Please don't kill me, I have read so many fics where they get together, I thought that it was time to make one where they didn't get together.


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